This week we had several fun family outings. The days seem to pass and we keep busy with various “adventures” as I like to call them. Pictures can make things appear like life is grand and happy and all roses.  And while we certainly have fun, there are sad times too. Those times aren’t captured in pictures, but they are there and they are real. Oftentimes people will ask how we are doing. The truth is at times we are fine and at other times we’re sad, really sad. And hurt. And we miss our son, Nathan. Our family has experienced extreme pain and sadness. Yet life continues to go on every day. So we are choosing to make happy memories. I can tell you that after our experience I certainly have a different perspective on the privilege of being a mom. I by no means get everything right, not even close, but even in the midst of a tantrum I’m reminded of what a blessing Griffin is to our family and the miracle God has given us in him. And I want to have fun and enjoy what is around us.  Which brings us to this weeks adventures. I’ve been working less lately and I had the week off and Kevin was home most of the time too. We went to the zoo, Red, White & Boom, a 4th of July parade, and a trip to Grandma and Grandpa Beilstein’s for the 4th. It was a busy and full week which I find is good for me, in particular, to keep the sadness in the back of my mind. We listened to our first-ever “keeper talk” for the rhinoceros. Griffin was able to touch a real horn from the rhino at the zoo, which had fallen off long ago.  He had a good time on the statues of the various animals at the zoo too. He was being a bit goofy.  It was a crazy weather day as it went from nice and sunny, to torrential downpours as you can see below. Luckily we were close by to take refuge in the tunnel that goes from one side of the zoo to the other.  Yikes!  During a break in the rain we headed indoors to the aquarium where we were able to see the keeper feed the fish and check out other animals we hadn’t seen in quite awhile.  Finn kept wanting to walk with the fish and the stingray. He would get up next to the glass and walk along the glass with the various creatures. He loved the big turtle! The lions are always sleeping during our visits! Finn gave them a high five anyway.  And of course the petting zoo. Finn has a real love of animals. He always wants to see them (“pees may i doe see dem?”) and pet them. So we played with the goats for a bit and watched the chickens eat. 

Since I’m behind in getting the posts online this is old news, but Finn has a few new outdoor toys. He’s still not totally sure about his motorized car. He drives it for short distances, usually, and then gets out to put things in the hood (balls, chalk, etc). He needs the pillow behind his back so he can reach the pedal!

We also spent a lot of time outside working in the yard. Kevin ordered 6 yards of bulk mulch that we figured would be enough to mulch all the gardens in the front of our house – but not so! We used 6 yards just in the bed by the street and half of a tree in the front yard.  Wowza. We did it all really quickly as Kevin would dump and I spread it out. I had spent about 3 hours in the morning weeding the garden as it was a travesty. I wish I had before photos of the mulch piles and the garden!! Kevin made amazing progress in our garage 🙂 He hasn’t parked his car inside since our remodel began last year. He spent lots of time and sweat emptying out this place.  Now it’s so spacious and nice!  Wish I had a before pic of this too 😉Red, White, & Boom is always something we look forward to each year. Three years ago on the day of Red, White, and Boom I found out I was pregnant and told Kevin shortly before we headed out for the festivities. It’s always a time for us to reminisce. this is the third year in a row we have gone down and enjoyed hanging out on the lawn, taking food, and watching the fireworks. We tried a new spot this year which we didn’t end up liking as much as Bicentennial Park, but we had a nice time. We stick around for the first 12 or 13 minutes of the fireworks before we high-tail it to our car to beat the traffic. We had a nice view and luckily the weather cooperated and cleared up from the rain which was around most of the early part of the day.  The next morning we woke up and headed to the Hilliard 4th of July Parade where we were able to hang out front of the church office for New City Presbyterian, the church plant our friends James and Laura are starting. It was a warm and sunny day and we had a great spot with friends, food, and coffee! Finn was pretty shy at retrieving the candy that they toss out (and there was a lot!) but warmed up to it after a bit. He moreso wanted to go inside and dance to the music that was playing! After the parade we headed to Mansfield for a cookout with mom and dad prior to their big trip to Alaska. We had a tasty meal and enjoyed hanging out. Finn went on a ride on the mule with Daddy and PaPa and later we all ventured around Mansfield in the van to show Kevin (who actually drove it all) a lot of the parks and fun places in Mansfield (we went by a few run down areas too). Dad is always keeping busy and his latest thoughts and activities involve figuring out a way to have a community Apple-themed festival utilizing a public park. We spent the night and went to church and Bobby E’s for some lunch after too.  Just prior to leaving Finn had a bit of an accident, which led to a quick wash down in the utility sink in laundry room! Silly boy.